A Circus
by SquickWrites
Summary: "Night circus!" Hanna pumped his fist into the air, smirking wildly. "We are going on a night circus trip. A trip to the circus at night. Just for Connie."
1. The Circus

"It's a zoo!" He shouted as he entered the room with a flyer. "It's all one big travelling zoo!"

Conrad leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "So you called us all over here and made us cram into your tiny apartment – just to tell us that the travelling zoo was in town?"

"Do you need me to take you to the zoo, Hanna? I can take you to the zoo." Veser offered, mostly sarcastic.

Hanna shook his head, sighing at the sardonic responses he'd received. "You guys don't get it. Hear me out."

And for once, the sarcasm subsided.

"Demetri and I were downtown when we happened upon this little piece of work." Hanna swiped a massive pile of papers from his desk to the floor as he placed the one he had been holding upon it. "Take a look."

Everyone relocated as best they could and huddled around the small table. The paper was a vibrant red with orange swirls cascading over green feathers. In gold and white letters, was etched a description:

_Le Cirque Étrange!_

_Come one, Come all! To the strangest of Circuses!_

_Delight in feats of Magik and Wizardry – Fall Under the Spell of our Fantastical Beasts!_

_After the show, You may even Walk amongst the Animals;_

_Pay Visit to Our Flying Lyon, or Our Scorching Pups!_

_And the Fan Favorite, Our Mystik Fire Bird!_

_The Lights will Lead the Way._

Hanna flipped the flyer over, grin plastered to his face. "There's a map on the back. That's where you meet the lights. You follow them, and then poof! You've arrived to the circus."

"Hanna, I still don't see-" Conrad tried to continue, but was interrupted by Toni.

"A fire bird?" She furrowed her brows skeptically.

"Yeah, Toni!" Hanna brightened now that someone was understanding. "A fire bird!"

Veser shook his head. "I don't get it."

"A phoenix?" Demetri wondered aloud.

Hanna gave one curt nod to his partner. "A phoenix."

"You're kidding me right?" Veser raised an eyebrow in skepticism. "There's only like one of those things in the whole world, aren't there? How would some no name circus get their hands on it?"

"That's my question." Hanna replied, giving the paper a hard stare. "How did they just so happen to find a phoenix?"

Veser tossed himself back into a small armchair. "I'm pretty sure I just asked that question."

"They had to go looking for it! Like _really _looking for it!" Hanna was giddy once again. "And if they've got _one _magic animal in there, then we can assume-"

"That the other ones are too." Toni bit down on her nail. "So the scorching pups-"

"Hellhounds." Hanna closed his eyes with a steady smile on his face. "They've got hellhounds in their circus."

"Flying… lyon?" Toni asked.

"NO." Veser yelled, sitting up suddenly. He grinned, suddenly excited. "They do _not _have a gryphon. You're joking, right?"

Conrad slammed his hand down on the table. "Wait – wait a second! This is assuming that _anything _on this flyer is true. What if it's just all one big scam – you know, like _most _circuses?"

Hanna's eyes shot open as he leaned towards Conrad. "Well seeing as we don't know for _sure_…"

Conrad just rolled his eyes, so Demetri finished the statement for him. "We have to go check anyway."

"Night circus!" Hanna pumped his fist into the air, smirking wildly. "We are going on a night circus trip. A trip to the circus at night. _Just _for Connie."

"And if I don't want to go?"

Hanna's grin grew as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out five strips of paper. "Sorry, we already bought tickets. You're going."


	2. Enter: Phantasm

They were not the only ones going to _Le Cirque Étrange._ Parents with children and young couples all approached the edge of the woods, their faces glued to the map on the back of their flyers. Almost simultaneously, everyone that had gathered looked up and about themselves. The lights – they were searching for the lights.

In the distance, the sun finally slipped below the buildings. At last, the darkness set in, and the stars set out. The crowd waited for minutes. Some were clearly tempted to walk away there and then, not liking to be out so late. But soon enough (if just barely), there was one blink of light.

Hanna and the others didn't even see it, but just one child in the crowd yelled, "There!" and everyone was at their most alert. They all looked around, scrambling to see what the little one had seen. Had it been there; or was it there? No one would leave now. They would find what they had come for.

The second time, an older woman saw it. The third, a couple of teenagers.

And then at last, the lights arrived. Not just flicks, this time. Small globes of blue led the way into the woods like small flames. They bobbed, up and down, seeming to beckon to all that saw them.

"Well guys?" Hanna grinned widely, glancing to his friends. "Let's go."

And as if on cue, the crowd moved as a whole.

The youngest children were at the front of the group, reaching their hands out to grab for each light. Concerned parents followed closely behind, keeping an alert eye out. The couples dawdled to the side, holding hands and pointing out into the brush, frightening each other and taking guesses at what the circus would hold. Hanna and his company lingered in the back, watching as the blue lights reappeared once the crowd had passed through them. Thus, they were the most confused when the children began screeching and speeding off.

They had arrived to the gates. The kids grabbed at the bars, staring inside while all the others stood mesmerized by the sight. The circus was large. So large, that one wondered how one of this size could ever have fit into the woods, and without any notice. But there it stood, tents of red and gold standing tall amongst the trees. Flags and signs of green accentuated each tent as small bulbs flicked along the entirety of the structures. The grounds, however, were empty.

That is until one man, dressed in all white, left the main tent. Swiping the large top hat from his head, he grinned at the multitude. He remained behind the gates, staring at the young children who had their faces pushed up through the gaps in the fence, gaping at him. Then, with a couple swift motions, he shooed the children from the gate, and lifted his arms above his head.

"Welcome! Everyone!" He bowed. "To _Le Cirque Étrange_!" and right then, the gates snapped outwards towards the woods, leaving the circus open.

Everything happened all at once, so no one was sure how it happened. But suddenly, stilt walkers were scurrying across the grounds followed by dwarves. Fire eaters leaned against the poles of vendors selling caramel apples and popcorn. Clowns in a troupe stomped into many of the tents, their shoes squeaking with every step they took. On the far side of the circus, the trumpeting of elephants could be heard as one was lead behind another of the exhibition areas.

Everyone was overwhelmed. No one knew where to start.

Veser leaned over to Hanna. "We came here for the phoenix, right?"

"Yeah." Hanna was still staring out at the tents as he answered. "Just the phoenix."

"But there's so much other stuff." Veser continued, hinting at what he _really _wanted to do.

"Yeah." Hanna swallowed. "There's a lot of stuff. Why should we miss out on the _stuff_? We got tickets." He held them up. "Why would we miss out on the stuff?"

At which point, the two of them went speeding into the circus just like the five year olds in front of them, hopping when they got to the ticket taker.

Toni, Conrad and Amadeus had to spend a few extra minutes in an attempt to figure out where they had run off to. When they had regrouped, Hanna practically threw everyone's tickets to them. He was the first to hand his ticket in, and the first inside _Le Cirque Étrange_.

The stands were nearly as tall as the circus itself, which was clearly necessary considering the sheer _magnitude _of the performing ring. The enormous circle was decorated with stripes across the floor, stars outlining the area. There was one gated door that led to a lane where the performers would surely exit. Trapeze boards and acrobatic swings stood at insane heights, and there were no nets in place. And it seemed that the second the group had been seated, someone was shot out of a canon.

The show began.


	3. The Paranormal Zoo

The circus was all that it had been chalked up to be, and way _way_ more. From feats of fire, to the mystics of magics, to the comedies of clowns, to the astonishments of acrobats – _Le Cirque Étrange _did not disappoint. More times than not, Archimedes would lean over to Hanna slowly, his eyes still glued to the performance before them, and he would ask '_Is that real magic, or stage magic?_' While at times Hanna could say that some things were staged without a doubt (although the great care put into making it look realistic stunned him no less), there were just as many times where Hanna could only reply with a curt '_Not sure_', as he was just as enthralled as his undead friend.

It didn't really occur to them at the time, but somewhere in the backs of their minds, this was troubling. The fact that a group of people who could be considered 'experts' on the supernatural just through first hand exposure couldn't be sure of what was real or not in a show meant to entertain children. But the show was wrapping them up in all sorts of sorcery, and none of them really thought to be worried until long after the show would end.

But that comes after the real show begins – after they finally see what they've waited for.

A black tarp was rolled out across the floor, as fences were put up. Higher – much higher than the ones needed to withhold the tigers. Whatever would be presented next seemed able to reach altitudes unknown to any beast in any circus.

"And now!" The ring master, standing proudly in his white suit at the center of the stage tosses his arms out to the side. "The moment you have all been waiting for!"

Hanna swears that the ring master locked eyes with him for a split second, right then.

The man seemed to hush his voice, causing the crowd to hush with him as the lights dimmed.

"Our Paranormal Zoo."

The light dimming did not go without reason. It served to make the bursts of fire seem even brighter than they could have, had the lights remained alight. The explosive flames erupted from the holding area, and for seconds that reached into minutes, the ball of fire hovered there in the air. But spark by spark, lick by lick, flame by flame, a shape began to emerge. It took moments for the crowd to realize, but as each flame extended, it became a piece of one definite form. And as the crowd grew more and more anxious, they grew more and more eager to see what would emerge. Until at long last, the evolution seemed complete.

The bird was enormous, with a dastardly wingspan of at least twenty feet. A long beak curved downwards gave the animal a sense of elegance about it, like a snide smile had curled its way onto the bird's face.

The fences were necessary. The phoenix swept about the perimeter of the ring , then settled down upon one of the trapezists' highest bars effortlessly, hardly causing the rod to swing at all.

The crowd broke into loud whoops and cheers at the sight, and the hellhounds only but boosted their vigor. Only one hound was fully grown. It was the first to bound from the back room, followed by four smaller canines that hopped their way about the ring. Their sleek, black 'fur' was wept back across their long bodies, and they almost appeared to be normal (albeit a bit large) dogs at first glance. But the bits of molten rock and char and embers that flew from them proved otherwise. Upon closer investigation, the fur was stiff, and spiked, spewing out heat as they animals rounded the ring once, twice, three times. Their bright yellow eyes contrasted the darkness of their bodies, even as the red glow of fire emanated from their very beings.

Parents, children, couples, even the beasts themselves all seemed completely in utter chaos, until the ring master let out one long, sharp whistle. The hellhounds all immediately ran to their master, sitting quickly in a line in front of him. The phoenix spared a look towards the man, turning its head to the side to get a good view of him. The audience finally all settled back, and returned to their seats, murmurs of excitement vibrating through the stands.

Toni and Conrad had both gripped their seats, and were leaning dangerously far forward as their mouths gaped at the sights before them. Veser had subconsciously pulled his goggles up, and onto the top of his head as he stared blatantly at the display. Archimedes sat straight backed as ever, but an undeniable chill of anticipation ran down his spine. Hanna was now kneeling in his chair, biting his lip as he drummed his fingers against his legs.

"Now the lot of you!" The ring master yelled towards the hellhounds. "Stand up, and address me properly."

With a very short whistle, all of the hounds hopped up onto their back legs, and opened their mouths wide.

"Hello!"

"Ring"

"Master"

"Sir!"

Each of the puppies took their turn to shout their single word, and after which they were each rewarded with a treat from the ring master. An unsettled grumble emerged from the spectators.

The adult hound was the last to speak, and hesitated until it was delivered a stern look by the ring master.

"Pleasure to perform with you again, sir." The last one spoke fluently, and sat as she spoke, staring the ring master down as she did so. She did not receive a treat, although the audience loved her.

Veser and Johann both looked to Hanna at the same time. "Real or staged?"

Conrad swallowed. "For the love of God – say staged. That's horrifying."

Hanna bit down a bit harder on his lip, leaning forward. "In a lot of myths, hellhounds can talk. I'd say it's real."

"That's – that's! Unnatural!" Conrad hissed out, staring at the dogs.

Veser turned to the vampire stupidly. "Yes, that's why these things are called supernatural."

"Talking dogs are sick and twisted."

Toni gave just one long, hard glare at Conrad. She didn't need to use words. Veser did.

"Sometimes Toni is a talking dog. Is there something you need to share, Connie?"

Conrad rubbed his temples, turning his attention back to the show. "Just shut up Ves. Shut up."

By now, the hellhound pups were hopping through rings about the arena, doing flips and tricks flawlessly. Each time, they were rewarded with a treat. With each treat, they spewed a bit of fire from some unseen orifice of their bodies. The more mature hound sat, watching the puppies with a keen eye. While overall reluctant, when the ring master asked her to do a stunt more advanced than what the pups could have managed, she performed as told. With a nasty look at her master, she performed as told.

The ring master then turned back to the audience, stroking his chin with fake puzzlement. "Now then – the hellhounds have worked quite a bit. But who's to say about that lazy phoenix?"

The bird ruffled its feathers indifferently. A giggle rose from the crowd.

"Come now, you little beast!" The ring master shouted. "You simply must perform for us!"

The bird turned its head away. The chuckling resumed.

"Well alright then. I see how it is." He turned back to the audience, his hands on his hips. "Would you all still care to see fantastic flights?"

The crowd nodded eagerly, lost in wonderment at what could be presented next.

"Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls; I bring forth-" he spread his arms wide, as the hellhounds around him began spewing fire of anticipation. "The gryphon!"

And the animal emerged with such outrageous speeds, that no one saw anything but a blur of green and brown, and a mass of feathers left behind. Not until it had settled even higher than the phoenix, each talon gripping at a bar of the fence as its eagle head cawed out towards the crowd.

A series of men all dressed in black emerged from the back entrance now, toting all sorts of stands and props.

"Gryph! Come join us!" The ring master called, once the set up was complete.

In response to the call, the gryphon doubled back over itself as it spread its wings, and landed before the ring master at once. The ring master and the beast stared each other down for a moment. Then, one of the men dressed in black handed a metal loop to the ring master. He took it in one hand, and waved it above his head. Instantly, the creature dropped its head as it wagged its tail wildly.

The ring master laughed as he turned to the audience. "Why – he's nothing but a big pussy cat!" He then wound his arm back, and tossed the ring as high up as he could.

The gryphon leaped up and caught the ring in its mouth gleefully, bringing it back to the ring master. The crowed 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed at the animal being reduced to simple tricks.

When the ring master had the ring in his hands again, the gryphon was ecstatic, hopping about him with anticipation.

"Down, boy!" The ring master commanded, and reluctantly, the gryphon settled. In the mean time, the ring master had placed a pair of black gloves onto his hands, and whistled over one of the hellhounds. The smaller animal leapt over to the ring master, and sat patiently before him.

The ring master gestured to the loop in his hands. "Give her a light, would ya?" he requested, to which the hound complied. It set its whole body alight, sending its flames cascading onto the loop as well. The ring master's glove protected his hand from the fire, and he patted the animal in appreciation.

"Now gryph – you know you ought to be very careful with this one-" the creature cawed at him excitedly. "Then I take it you're ready. Up you go now!"

Once again, the ring master threw the ring high up into the air. And once again, the gryphon chased after it. However, this time, it flipped onto its back midair, and flapped its enormous wings just once. The force managed to extinguish the flames, send the loop flying higher, and throw the gryphon low enough that it nearly grazed the ground. But in the nick of time, it flipped back over, landing heavily. Then, quickly, it threw itself back up into the air and grabbed the loop after flapping just twice. This time, however, instead of returning to the ring master, it landed back where it had perched earlier, crouching into the fence.

The ring master sighed loudly. "Come on now, gryph. What are you doing up there?"

The gryphon had its own plans, though. It reached its beak out towards the phoenix, nodding to the other bird. But the phoenix hardly glanced at the gryphon, and instead turned away. The gryphon cooed, trying to gain the bird's attention once more, but had no more luck the second time.

"Gryph!" The ring master laughed. "There's no use trying to impress that one! Can't be pleased."

The audience broke into uproarious laughter at this mock 'romance', and only laughed harder when the gryphon descended down to the ring master with its head tucked down in disappointment.

After these initial displays, the tricks and sights continued as the mythical beasts interacted with one another. The pups ran across fire, the gryphon chasing after them. The hounds climbed the fences nearly as high and elegantly as the gryphon could, and they all took their turns juggling, and tossing things between each other. Truly, they were the highlight of the show, and thus the circus ended on a high note.

The hellhounds, the gryphon, and the ring master all lined up together, and each one bowed one after the other. The crowd threw itself into wild applause, ecstatic at all they had seen for the night. Every person jeered and cheered as each of the hounds trotted back through the exit, followed closely by the gryphon. The phoenix, however, remained in its place. Even by the time the entire circus had cleared out, the phoenix still remained in its place.

Outside, the crowd now ran about the concession stands available, grabbing at food and playing arcade games. But Hanna and his friends simply wandered about.

"That was." Veser shook his head. "Awesome. Totally. _Awesome_."

Toni clasped her hands in front of her, smiling. "It was amazing! All of the magicians were really professional, you know? And the lighting and pyrotechnics were fantastic."

"Yeah, all of that stuff too."

Even Conrad nodded along in agreement. "It was pretty good. I didn't expect them to be nearly as professional as they were."

They all seemed content for the time being, until Icarus nudged Hanna in the side. "Hanna? Are you alright?" he asked, because honestly – Hanna hadn't seemed alright since the animals were originally released.

Hanna shook his head. "Something about that last part of the performance didn't seem right to me."

"Right as in?" Icarus pursued the topic.

Veser leaned in as well. "Not right like not real; or not right like messed up?"

"Something about it was really, _really_ messed up." Hanna replied, thoughtful.

"Nothing looked so wrong to me." Toni chimed in. "You must have noticed something the rest of us didn't, then."

The five of them had reached the gates now, where the path was still lit with those faint blue lights. Hanna turned back to the fenced area within the circus grounds, where the 'zoo' was presented.

"It was the phoenix, mostly, I guess." He finally said after a few moments to get his thoughts together.

"Cmon Hanna, spit it out." Veser urged him on, anxious to hear what Hanna had seen.

Hanna turned to the Ves. "Even the hell hounds. Aside from that one, they were all pretty young. Really young, actually. But why was one so much older than the others?"

"Where are you going with this, Hanna?" Conrad finally yelled.

"It was the phoenix, mostly." Hanna repeated, losing himself in thought once again.

Next, his undead friend tried to coax the answers out of him. "Hanna, what was it about the phoenix?"

"So you know how it made that really flashy entrance?" Hanna suddenly spewed.

"Yeah? It was gorgeous, right?" Toni replied excitedly, but now somewhat skeptical.

Hanna shoved his hands in his pockets as he let his thoughts roll from his mouth. "The phoenix is supposed to be super majestic and all – but it's supposed to be one of the most docile creatures out there."

Veser shrugged. "It didn't seem too wild to me. Why did that set you off?"

"It didn't do a ton afterwards, yeah, but that behavior was weird. To have that huge entrance, and then the way it acted towards the ring master afterwards – like it had a grudge or something. Which is kind of the last thing a phoenix would do." Hanna sank into his shoulders as he rambled on.

Toni narrowed her eyes. "You think the phoenix held a grudge?"

"I don't know, really." Hanna shrugged. "But either way – the way that the bird exploded like that? That's really out of character."

"So?" Icarus piped up after listening quietly for so long. "What are you thinking?"

"For it to blow like that – then it had to have been repressed some way." Hanna bit his lip. "That phoenix was restrained in a way that it couldn't let _any_ of its fire out, for the flames to be that big. That bird had to be chained up, and tied down, all kinds of nasty ways."

Veser cocked his head to the side. "So you think they're holding that thing up just to make a good entrance for the show?"

"Yeah. " Hanna nodded. "And if they went to those measures to get a reaction from a like, _actionless_ bird – can you imagine what they did to the other animals? They literally trained _hellhounds_. Those things exist to steal souls! But now they're just like house pets?"

Toni began to chew at her nails. "Does seem a little _off_ when you think about their actual nature, I guess." She shook her head. "And even the gryphon?"

"Gryphons are the very image of strength and freedom – but they've got one holed up in a couple of fabric tents?" Hanna tossed his arms out to his sides. "They've got some of the strongest, most powerful, most well known mythical creatures in here; and they're just suddenly submissive and obedient to some no name ring leader?"

Icarus nodded. "It's odd that the animals would do a complete 180 on what comes naturally to them. But we can't jump to conclusions."

"Exactly!" Conrad pointed to Icarus. "You might have a point Hanna, but the phoenix has been alive for like, all of time, right? Maybe we don't know everything about every little beast out there."

"But it's still worth checking out, I think." Hanna groaned, rolling his eyes. "If there's a possibility, it's our job-" he linked arms with Icarus. "As _paranormal investigators_, to _investigate_."

"And there's something about all of this that I don't like." Hanna concluded, turning towards the gate.

And the second he had turned around, the blue lights began to convulse and vibrate. Until they made a shape, or more of a silhouette, than anything. Vaguely, the five could make out the shape of a short girl. Her head seemed a bit misshapen, but otherwise – she was definitely human. Or at least, she definitely had been human.

"Finally!" the figure yelled, gripping onto one of Hanna's hands. "Finally, someone's noticed!"


	4. Whispers in the Woods

To say the most, Hanna was taken aback. He jumped slightly, but he never took his hand from hers as she shook it violently. The others were too stunned to move, or say anything – but that's why Hanna was the head Paranormal Investigator. He knew what he was doing.

"Hello there?" He said cautiously, waiting for whatever was gripping him to calm down.

"Yes hello!" The girl grinned, dropping his hand as she did. "Oh, I ought to make this quick – I really need to make this quick."

"Make what quick?"

"Things I have to tell you – oh it's so good of you to notice! Oh thank you!"

"No prob-" But Hanna was cut off by the girl suddenly disappearing right before his eyes. Like when the power had been cut off from the television, the image of her zapped out.

It was at this point that the rest of Hanna's company came to their senses. Toni gasped, Veser clenched his teeth, and Balthazar instinctively grabbed Hanna's shoulder, wrenching him back. Conrad screamed – a loud, short scream.

Hanna stuffed a finger in his ear. "Connie, what the hell?"

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED." Conrad shouted.

"I actually have no idea what's going on." Toni span around, trying to fathom where the girl could have gone.

"Well, see," Hanna shrugged, still staring at where the girl had been. "I'm pretty sure I just had half a conversation with a ghost."

"Oh fuck that – I'm out." Veser threw up his hands and backed away quickly. "I don't do ghosts, man! You know this!"

Conrad pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger as he rolled his eyes. "Hanna? Can we go _one day_ without encountering someone who is living _longer than they were supposed to_?"

Hanna took a moment to genuinely ponder that one, then slowly, he answered. "Nooo, actually. We can't. Because you're technically supposed to be dead. And so's big guy over here." Hanna added, nudging his green friend with his elbow.

"_Rhetorical!_"

"Oh. Sorry." Hanna then turned to Balthazar, grinning. "You can let go, yknow. I highly doubt we're in any _real _danger from a little ghostie girl."

Without a word, the zombie released Hanna's shoulder from his grip, and Hanna turned back to where the girl had been standing moments ago.

"Now where did she-"

Hanna's question was met with a fist to his face, a loud '_crack_' and a bleeding nose.

"ACK."

"Oh goodness gracious – I'm so sorry! I am so so very sorry!"

"See, Hanna?" Xerxes grabbed the man's shoulder YET AGAIN, and pulled him back _once more_. "Worth said 'no ghosts'"

Toni bit her lip as she grabbed Hanna's cheeks, examining his face. "Mr. Cross, your nose is bleeding."

"Yes Toni, thank you I had no idea." Hanna spouted as he pulled his glasses off.

At least one good thing had come out of this. The blue girl was back.

"I am so sorry about that!" She shouted twitching slightly.

"Yeah, yeah." Hanna placed a hand beneath his nose, trying to see if it was still bleeding and how badly. "So why'd you _do it_?"

"I had to." She assured him. "I have to do things like that to keep myself from zapping out."

Conrad groaned, visibly annoyed. "What is she _talking_ about?"

"It's hard to manifest as a full body specter!" She huffed out at the vampire as she pointed out into the woods. "It's easy enough to show up as a bunch of glowing balls, but as myself? Not simple!"

Conrad leaned back. "I did not mean to offend you."

"Of course not! Being dead is _so easy_! All you have to do is lie in the ground all day!" She placed her hands on her hips. "Not! True!"

Toni cleared her throat in interruption. "If it counts for any points, you're manifesting very well right now."

The girl glanced down at her body, and then smiled brightly. Toni was correct – the image of the ghost girl was clearer than it had been before. "Oh! That's great! Anger truly _is _the easiest emotion to channel. Please don't let me upset you."

Toni grinned. "We're probably more afraid of you than anything, really."

Xerxes raised a hand. "Weren't you supposed to do something quickly?"

The ghost's face lit up. "Ah, yes! I must tell you about the circus! You!" She pointed to Hanna quickly. "You were right when you said there was something wrong."

"I knew it!" Hanna replied proudly. "And it isn't just the phoenix, is it?"

"All of them." The girl replied. "And you said – you said you're investigators, right? So you'll investigate this, won't you?"

Hanna removed the hand from his nose. "Tell us all you've got."

"Please follow me into the surrounding dark forest." She gestured to the mass of trees behind her.

Conrad spoke suspiciously. "And whyyyy would we do that?"

"Well for one, it's further away from the circus. It would probably be better to talk about our plans to ruin them a distance away." She turned to the woods, coughing lightly over her next answer. "Also, it's easier for me to manifest there."

As she continued to walk into the woods, no one bothered to question that second part. So naturally, Conrad took it upon himself to be the one to do so.

"And _why_, might I ask, is it easier for you to manifest there?"

"Oh I don't know." The ghost mumbled the second part as she sped through her response. "I was probably buried around here or something who knows."

Conrad stopped walking, and tossed his hands out in the direction of the girl. Everyone else continued following her without halt.

"Is everyone just going to ignore that? A little girl's body is buried somewhere in these woods! And we're walking into them! Why would we do this?!"

Toni was the only one to turn to Conrad. "C'mon Mr. Achenleck, it's not like she _asked_ to be buried here. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

Conrad grumbled as he followed along behind Toni. "Oh I don't _know_, Ms. Ipres. Maybe all of _us_ getting buried out in the woods? But that's just unheard of, Conrad."

Hanna jogged forward slightly, matching the ghosts' pace. "Okay, so introductions! Hi, I'm Hanna. And you are, ghost girl?"

"Technically a ghost. But not really." She turned to him, continuing through the foliage. "More of a wisp, if I do say so myself."

Hanna gasped loudly. "A _wisp_?"

"Will o' the." She smiled. "So technically a ghost, but more of a subcategory."

"That's crazy! So – what? You're just a little kid."

"I think I was."

"How old were you when you died? How'd you die?" Hanna cleared his throat. "Assuming that isn't too personal."

The wisp turned left on their voyage. "Not too personal. Not sure how old I was. I believe my death has something to do with the large dent in my head, or maybe the popped vessel in my eye. It probably has something to do with both, really!"

"So you-"

She disappeared into thin air again. Hanna and his company were left behind, deep in the woods, now without a guide.

"Wow, no way, who would believe. The ghost has mysteriously left us in the woods. I never would have guessed." Conrad shouted sarcastically as he brought up the rear, Veser close behind.

Jonah tapped Hanna's shoulder uneasily. "Think she's coming back?"

"Oh she probably-"

Before the comment was finished, Hanna was winded by the punch dealt to his gut, and doubled over.

"OW."

"Sorry!"

"Course you are!" Hanna accidentally shouted as he tried to catch his breath.

The wisp placed a hand on Hanna's shoulder. "Not to be rude, but it is probably for the best not to let me get sidetracked. Less disappearing."

"Yeah – yeah okay wisp lady." Hanna coughed, straightening. "Whatever you say."

"Please call me Willow." She waited a moment until Hanna seemed stable, then continued into the dark woods. "Now, about the phoenix! Things are horrible!"

"How so?" Hanna inquired, finally feeling that they were getting somewhere.

"You're right. What you said about the phoenix being contained. It is caged at all times, for one, unless it is performing. Harmless little thing wouldn't fly off, either way, really!" Willow turned to Hanna. "It gets even worse right before a performance. They bind it in all sorts of chains and shackles – then they douse the poor dear, and cover it in one of those blankets that smothers flames."

Toni audibly gasped.

"Then of course, right before the bird makes its entrance, they get rid of most of the chains, and take off the tarp. It's usually dry by then, so they release it completely, and then give its tail a light with one of those lighters for cigarettes to set it blazing again." Willow shook her head. "Gruesome, really."

"So they douse the phoenix, then light it to make a big entrance?" Jonah reconfirmed.

The wisp nodded. "Correct. For a while, they even tried to get it to do tricks and things, but really, phoenixes weren't made for that sort of riff-raff."

"And the others?" Hanna prodded.

"The gryphon – poor thing – not to be rude, but it's too dull to really notice how bad things are. He's kind of like a little puppy; he'd do anything for the Ringmaster, just about. But on the occasion that he doesn't do something, they've got whips for that, or they'll starve the dear." She sighed sadly. "They keep the beast locked up in an even smaller cage than the phoenix has. But he seems to forget all that when it comes to the ringmaster.

"Not to mention the Hellhounds, who probably have the worst of it, really." Willow continued steadily through the brush. "Mum is the oldest one; the other four are her puppies. They were practically born into the circus, so they don't know much else. Mum, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to leave the place."

"But they use the puppies against her." Hanna finished for her.

Willow nodded. "Yes. Unless performing, they are kept apart at all times. Mum couldn't ever plan to escape with them – she never knows where they are."

"This makes me feel ill." Hanna concluded the conversation as they finally reached what must have been the wisp's destination.

They'd reached a wide clearing, with a small pond centered in the middle of the area. The trees surrounding it made it nearly invisible to anyone who was unaware of its presence, and the bright moon left a blue hue to the surrounding area that blended seamlessly with Willow's own shade.

"So you see why I need your help?" She asked quietly, staring off into space.

Hanna narrowed his eyes. "I get why _they_ need our help."

Conrad stepped in here. "Still not seeing where you come into this equation."

"Basically." Hanna agreed.

"Oh." Willow's eyes widened. "Oh I… I just wanted to help, really."

"Really?" Hopper asked skeptically.

Willow shrugged, the clarity of her image dimming. "I get on with the phoenix pretty well. I have for a long time."

"How do you 'get on' with a bird made of fire?" Veser asked, peering from behind Conrad cautiously.

"Oh I don't know. Find it some treats, nurse it back to health." Willow's figure grew brighter. "Not putting it in a cage? Treating it like a living thing?"

"Okay alright shit I see where you're coming from." Veser sputtered out, reassuming his spot behind Conrad's height.

Willow shook her head. "Not to offend – really. I would just love if you all would help, sorry."

"Hanna?" Toni asked, folding her arms behind her back. "You're really the only investigator here."

Veser leaned away from Conrad for a moment to confirm that. "The rest of us just kind of hang around."

"Hey, hey!" Hanna stepped back, wrapping an arm around his zombie friend. "Josiah is an investigator too!"

"But will you help them?" Willow burst out.

"Huh? The animals?" Hanna asked, turning to Willow with a somewhat blank face.

"Oh! Hell yeah."


End file.
